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Debating Serbia’s draft public information and media law

2 July 2013
  • Many broadcasters found time to not only actively participate in the discussions but to simultaneously cover them for their own media. On the panel during the public debate in Belgrade, Dragana Nikolić Solomon (l), Head of the Mission’s Media Department; Vincent Degert (c), Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia; and Bratislav Petković, Serbia’s Minister of Culture and Media, Belgrade, 19 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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  • Some public broadcasters are opposed to the draft law, and used the debates to passionately voice their concerns. Here, Saša Radović from TV Niš explains why he believes it would have a detrimental effect on his station, Niš, 14 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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  • The four debates drew significant interest. In Niš, citizens queued up to register for the debate, 14 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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  • Smaller media outlets and representatives of minority language media were particularly concerned about the draft law. Here, Kalman Kuntić (c), an expert on minority language media and member of the working group that put together the draft law, answers questions at the debate in Niš. With him on the panel are the moderator of the debates, Dragana Nikolić Solomon (l) from the OSCE Mission, and Gordana Predić, State Secretary in the Serbian Ministry of Culture and Media, Niš, 14 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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  • With the cameras running, the participants ardently discussed the future of Serbia’s public and private broadcasters under the new draft law, Belgrade, 19 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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  • The debates were not only attended by media representatives and experts but also many Serbian citizens, who spoke up about the need for more objective information in the media, Niš, 14 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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  • Nemanja Nenadić of Transparency Serbia, a non-governmental organization that focuses on the fight against corruption and promotes greater transparency, asks how the draft law would regulate the official registration of media outlets, Belgrade, 19 March 2013. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)
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Serbia finds itself in the midst of a wide-ranging media reform process. At stake are many issues: editorial independence versus fair market competition. Questions of state financing and media ownership. How to ensure transparency of who owns broadcasters and other media. And the question of what the state’s role should be with regard to Internet content regulation.

In March 2013, the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the country’s Ministry of Culture and Media organized a series of public debates on a new draft law on public information. These rounds of discussions, held in Niš, Novi Pazar, Novi Sad and Belgrade, gave an opportunity to media representatives, officials and civil society to voice their opinions and provide input to the draft document.

The new piece of legislation is meant to ensure that the state withdraws from media ownership; arbitrary state financing of media outlets is dropped; and that public interest information is generated through project financing. It would also ensure transparency of media ownership and protect freedom of expression on the Internet.

The public debates were sponsored by the Ministry and the OSCE Mission, and received additional support from the British Embassy. They were attended by representatives of local and central authorities, media professionals and experts, and citizens from all walks of life. In total, more than 600 people participated in the events.

The OSCE Mission has worked with the European Union Delegation to Serbia and the country’s government on the draft legislation necessary to implement the 2011 Media Strategy. These efforts are aimed at providing a media framework that will improve freedom of the media in Serbia and put the country on a path towards meeting international standards in this field.